The emerging church movement seeks to apply the Christian message in a contemporary, postmodern culture and is developing new ideas about worship, theology, and mission. Brian McLaren’s provocative writings have become a manifesto of sorts for many in the emergent conversation. But he’s also generating intense controversy, especially among conservative evangelicals.

Drug makers and neuroscientists are enhancing what human brains can do, but what are the implications of these developments? For instance, what if brain researchers someday learn to find out what a patient is thinking? Or to predict a disabling disease? Or, right now, what about so-called “smart pills” that improve a college student’s performance on an exam?

The emerging church movement began several years ago as a conversation among evangelical Gen-X leaders who were alarmed at church dropout rates among 20s and 30s. They formed a loose network named Emergent to discuss what it means in today’s world to follow Jesus and to reach out to others.

Transcendental Meditation was widely popular 40 years ago: a technique for relaxation and awareness using certain sounds and ways of breathing, 20 minutes, twice a day. Now, it is flourishing in Fairfield, Iowa, the home of what is now the Maharishi University of Management.

Judith Miller, a reporter for THE NEW YORK TIMES, went to jail rather than reveal to a federal grand jury the names of sources she had promised to keep confidential. Bob Abernethy discusses the moral arguments of that case with Deborah Potter, a former network news correspondent who now teaches newsroom ethics.

Billy Graham is leading what he says will be his last U.S. crusade at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in New York City. The three-day meeting is his 417th. In a ministry spanning nearly 60 years, Graham has preached in person to more than 210 million people around the world. He says his age and poor health are now forcing him to bring the crusades to an end.

Watch excerpts from our interview with Billy Graham biographer William Martin.

Journalist and author Wendy Murray Zoba discusses the legacy of evangelist Billy Graham.

Forty-six states have what are known as "conscience clauses" that allow health care workers the right to refuse to perform abortions. What concerns many women and men is that several states are now debating legislation that would expand these clauses to include not only abortion but emergency contraceptives as well.

The word “Sikh” means student or disciple. Sikhs have three basic core beliefs — constant meditation and remembrance of the Creator, the importance of earning a living by honest and hard work, and the importance of justice and freedom for all. The Khalsa is a brotherhood of Sikhs, who publicly take a vow to follow a certain spiritual discipline along with a physical discipline.

Over the years, Catholic leaders have often expressed their opposition to certain uses of science, such as anything that threatens human life. But the Church has no objection to basic scientific research itself — far from it. That work is honored as trying to understand what God created — in the case of an observatory in Arizona, the entire visible universe.

There is an old but persistent stereotype that some religious believers are so strict and stern they have no time or taste for laughter. Brad Stine is a successful performer who thinks evangelical Christianity and standup comedy can go together, and that humor can help spread faith.

By most standards, Gerry Straub's career is in a tailspin. His earnings have dropped significantly, but he's not complaining. He believes that happiness is measured not by what you earn, but by what you are able to give away. He's let go of almost everything except his work. Straub makes documentaries about the world's poverty, hoping it will motivate us to do something about it.

In Darfur, in western Sudan, a perfect storm of religious, racial, political, military, and environmental conflicts produced warnings of a humanitarian disaster. But that has been averted for now by a massive relief effort. The situation is still dangerous, especially because of marauding fighters called the Janjaweed, but refugees are being cared for.

Donnie McClurkin is a Gospel superstar. But on Sunday mornings, as Pastor McClurkin, he has more local concerns. This Grammy award winner may sing for presidents, but he’s known for “being real.” Whether in his local church pulpit or on a stage before thousands, he preaches about his troubled past, his struggle with homosexuality, and his faith in God. Music, he says, is his sermon.

We visited the prayer shawl ministry at St. James Episcopal Church in Lothian, Maryland, where members gather to knit and crochet shawls they hope will provide not only physical warmth but spiritual comfort as well.

Before World War II, 80 percent of the residents Dzialoszyce were Jewish. Then came the Nazi Holocaust, and the few Jews who returned after the war were killed by Poles. Menachem Daum is a filmmaker, the son of Holocaust survivors, who grew up hearing stories about Polish anti-Semitism. Daum visited Dzialoszyce with his two sons to learn about the Jews who once lived there and anti-Semitism today.

Mary Jo and Leslie, both Presbyterians, were confronted with the same agonizing dilemma. They were pregnant with fetuses that had major defects, and each woman had to decide whether to give birth or terminate her pregnancy.

Eastern Orthodox Christians have a different calendar than Western Christians and for them, Great Lent, as they call it, has just begun. That means specific dietary prohibitions almost every day and, occasionally, a total fast. Our guide to the Great Lent fast is Jack Hinton of the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Washington, DC.

Holy Week and Easter have special significance in Northern Ireland, a land torn by decades of religious conflict. Amid the ongoing tensions, a Benedictine monastery is working for reconciliation and unity.